A light in the void (my hero academia)

See you soon, Hero.

"You need to come to the mall with us tomorrow Deku! We're going to get what we're missing for the training camp!" The soft yet excited voice of Uraraka resounds through the classroom. Aizawa hears his ward mumble something under his breath but doesn't really hear the answer he gives his friends.

The teacher watches silently as the expression on Uraraka's face falters and she walks away disappointedly, a sad smile adorning her features.

That night he decides to ask the problem child about it. Because why would he decline a day out with his friends. They are only teenagers after all, and as much as Aizawa likes for them to stay at home and watch a movie together. Izuku deserved some kind of a break. A chance to have fun and hang out with his friends and for once, to be a kid again.

So, as they sit quietly around the dining table, he decides to bring up the subject.

"So, are you going to go with your friends to the mall tomorrow?" He asks carefully, making sure to keep his features into his usual blank look.

"A-ah, did you hear about that?" The kid answers nervously, his stuttering sending warning bells in Shouta's mind. It's been so long since the kid actually stuttered while talking to him. They were making progress. Izuku was finally getting comfortable around him. So, why was he nervous now?

"Your classmates aren't the quietest bunch..." Aizawa replied, a hint of amusement in his tone as he recalled the way everyone was practically yelling in excitement about it. It was the first time they were going out as a class. "Well, are you going to go?" He couldn't help but ask.

"I- uh- no I don't think so. I'm kind of tired and I don't really need to buy anything..." The kid squeaked out, a hand coming to rub the back of his neck. A motion that Aizawa recognized as a nervous gesture. The boy was lying... But why?

"Last time I checked, we didn't have sunscreen here or an extra sleeping bag." He offered, hoping it was a good enough of a push to get the kid talking about what was wrong.

"Oh- uh no it's okay, you don't have to worry about it." Izuku was avoiding eye contact now, he seemed particularly interested in the floor tiles.

"Seriously kid, what's going on? Why don't you want to go?"

"I-uh..." It didn't look like Izuku was going to say anything, so he tried to guess.

"Did something happen with your friends?" It would explain why he was avoiding going with them.

A shake to the head was his only answer.

"Okay, so, is it the mall? Are you nervous about going to such a public place?"

Another shake.

Aizawa was getting worried now. More than he already was. If it wasn't for these reasons. What was wrong?

"Is it the money?"

A flinch.

Ah, it made sense. They still hadn't discussed anything about their new arrangement. Izuku was his kid now. The boy needed to learn to rely on him for these things.

"Look Izuku, we're family now. I'm responsible for you. That means that anything you need, I need to provide for you. I need you to know that whenever you need anything, you can come to me okay?" He asked tentatively.

The boy seemed shocked. His expression varying from confused to plain awe. Did the kid really think it was such a big deal?

"Izuku, didn't your mom let you buy yourself the things you needed?" He was walking on a thin line and he knew it. The kid was still recovering, he didn't want to send him into some kind of panic attack.